By Ben Rosario
Embattled Mayor Edwin Hamor of Casiguran, Sorsogon denied allegations that the construction firm owned by his daughter has cornered at least P551 million in government contracts bid out in 2018 by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Edwin Hamor (photo courtesy of LGU Casiguran Sorsogon/ Facebook)
“Aremar was established in 2014 when I was out of government and I was in the private sector. I divested before I assumed as mayor in 2016 in favor of my sister, Grace Hamor-Yu, and my daughter, Maria Minez Hamor,” the mayor said.
“Maria is my daughter outside of wedlock before I married Esther Hamor, who is the actual in-law of Diokno. Maria Hamor now owns majority of Aremar,” he added.
Hamor explained that Aremar and CT Leoncio Construction and Trading, a Triple A company, are not partners but are only involved in a joint venture for four infrastructure projects in Sorsogon.
“Joint ventures are legal and allowed by the DPWH if it has a Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board approval and special license for joint venture purposes. All these joint ventures have PCAB approval and a numbered special license. Joint ventures are valid and legal,” he said.
The joint venture projects being questioned by Andaya cover the off-carriageway improvement of the Ariman-Casiguran Road (P47 million), Barcelona-Casiguran Diversion Road (P96 million), a tourism road in Bulusan National Park (P115 million) and the section of Daang Maharlika Road in Sorsogon (P289 million).
“The procurement law requires that all projects be open to all contractors. And it’s not the Department of Budget and Management that bids out and releases – it is the DPWH,” Hamor added.
Edwin Hamor (photo courtesy of LGU Casiguran Sorsogon/ Facebook)
“Aremar was established in 2014 when I was out of government and I was in the private sector. I divested before I assumed as mayor in 2016 in favor of my sister, Grace Hamor-Yu, and my daughter, Maria Minez Hamor,” the mayor said.
“Maria is my daughter outside of wedlock before I married Esther Hamor, who is the actual in-law of Diokno. Maria Hamor now owns majority of Aremar,” he added.
Hamor explained that Aremar and CT Leoncio Construction and Trading, a Triple A company, are not partners but are only involved in a joint venture for four infrastructure projects in Sorsogon.
“Joint ventures are legal and allowed by the DPWH if it has a Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board approval and special license for joint venture purposes. All these joint ventures have PCAB approval and a numbered special license. Joint ventures are valid and legal,” he said.
The joint venture projects being questioned by Andaya cover the off-carriageway improvement of the Ariman-Casiguran Road (P47 million), Barcelona-Casiguran Diversion Road (P96 million), a tourism road in Bulusan National Park (P115 million) and the section of Daang Maharlika Road in Sorsogon (P289 million).
“The procurement law requires that all projects be open to all contractors. And it’s not the Department of Budget and Management that bids out and releases – it is the DPWH,” Hamor added.